Publication details

Sick leave duration as a potential marker of functionality and disease severity in depression

Authors

VOLZ H. P. BARTEČKŮ Eliška BARTOVA Lucie BESSA J. DE BERARDIS D. DRAGASEK J. KOZHUHAROV H. LADEA M. LAZÁRY J. ROCA M. USOV G. WICHNIAK A. GODMAN B. KASPER S.

Year of publication 2022
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Medicine

Citation
Web https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13651501.2022.2054350
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13651501.2022.2054350
Keywords Absenteeism; depression; functionality; major depressive disorder; return to work; sick leave
Description Objective: To discuss the impact of depression on work and how depression-related sick leave duration could be a potential indicator and outcome for measuring functionality in depression. Methods: Our review was based on a literature search and expert opinion that emerged during a virtual meeting of European psychiatrists that was convened to discuss this topic. Results: Current evidence demonstrates that depression-related sick leave duration is influenced by multiple disease-, patient- and work-related factors, together with societal attitudes towards depression and socioeconomic conditions. A wide variety of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments and work-based interventions are effective in reducing depression-related sick leave duration and/or facilitating return to work. Recent real-world evidence showed that patients treated with antidepressant monotherapy appear to recover their working life faster than those receiving combination therapy. Although depression-related sick leave duration was found to correlate with severity of depressive symptoms, it cannot be used alone as a viable marker for disease severity. Conclusions: Given its multifactorial nature, depression-related sick leave duration is not on its own a viable outcome measure of depression severity but could be used as a secondary outcome alongside more formal severity measures and may also represent a useful measure of functionality in depression.

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